London Bridge Experience and London Tombs - 2014

Year round scare attractions are always proud to show their
seasonal events and highly encourage guests to visit during that time,
but what about when there is no seasonal event yet? What about during low
season? Can they still provide the energy needed to keep the guests coming? In
the build up to Christmas, we at ScareTour believe that yes, they can! After entering, we are greeted with the sight and sound of the tube hurtling toward us, which made the guests in front of us screaming from the word go. Walking through the first few corridors before meeting the rest of the group proved to be a slight challenge, as it was a tad too dark to know which way to go, so it became a case of extending your arms and hoping you can feel your way around. The actors on the top floor, few though there were, engaged the audience with focused energy, not letting it drop for a second; providing physical humour for those who didn’t speak English, as well as fantastic, direct interaction with individuals who did, making sure all and sundry were smiling before entering the next segment. It is clear at this point that LBE are not afraid of change, be it the inclusion of live animals on set, or an extension of set (the winding corridors give the illusion of a much larger venue, all of which serves the sections well, all of which are decorated accordingly, not missing detail where needed) As we descend into the tombs, the front of house staff made sure we were all fully aware of the health and safety implications before entering, although, we did notice that an individual guest member did not get an opportunity to have a photo taken and was asked to move into the briefing area when it seemed as though he wanted his moment captured. Prior to entering, we are ushered into a seating block, where we are greeted with a pre-recorded video feed, instructing us of the dos and don’ts once inside. Although the audio for this section came across as slightly muffled (perhaps due to the sound effects used on the voice) the visual signs, such as a camera with a cross through it, made the rules universally understandable, regardless of ones nationality. Then the fun begins…we enter the tombs. Once again, the tombs have appeared to grow in space. We are made to walk even further than usual, giving the scare actors inside more dark corners (darker than most) to hide in and jump out at us. Like above, the changes to the tombs have been done to their advantage! Each set had raised the bar substantially high, even if no actors were present (which was a shame, as we saw a maximum of four), there was still enough tension to cause guests to jump at the sight of their own shadow, especially as we are now greeted with a SECOND big squeeze (as if it wasn’t bad enough for one of our members to brave the first!) although, we are still questioning the rock monster’s presence and wonder when it will be put out to pasture. The London Bridge Experience is definitely not a one trick pony. It’s these tactics and changes that certainly explain why they have been recognised as the UK’s scariest attraction for over several years. Yes, we encourage you to check out their events at Christmas, Easter and Halloween, but if you get the chance when there is no event going on, take a look inside then; they still provide great entertainment from the moment you enter, to the moment you exit.